Dr. Maya Mascarenhas

CHAIRPERSON

Dr. Maya Mascarenhas took over as Chairperson of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore in October 2021. She specializes in Paediatrics and Community Health and has wide experience in public health. She is a consultant for the National Health Systems Resource Centre, New Delhi; she has been a consultant for CINI, Share India, TNSACS, Goa SACS, NRHM, USID, and several other programmes including health projects under the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Karnataka.

She has been involved with NGOs working on building appropriate people’s institutions, skills development, health and agriculture development. She is the member of the High Court Monitoring Committee on Malnutrition, Karnataka state. She is an advisory member for programmes related to maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and child nutrition in partnership with NRHM, KHSDRP, and Department of Women and Child Development. She has been involved in the preparation of several documents, reports, and training materials in the health field.

Dr. Maya Mascarenhas joined Cheshire Homes as a Life Member in October 2020 and since has been a medical consultant for our old age home on a voluntary basis.

She is also is a talented and passionate musician and is actively involved in the Bangalore children’s choir group and spends her free evenings with a group singing and entertaining the elderly. 

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Asma Armugham

VICE CHAIRPERSON

A past resident of our Home, Asma graduated from Mount Carmel College. Worked in DELL International Services in the Accounts and Finance Department. Currently, she works for IBM as Deputy Manager.

Asma joined as a Managing Committee member in 2004. She is closely involved with residents and is part of the Education and Wellbeing Committee for the residents in the Airport Road Home. She spends her weekends counselling and teaching the residents. She is an inspiration to all the children at the Home.

Asma has the highest regard for the home that allowed her to grow, which has motivated her to give back to society. She was also the chief promoter in setting up AWA, an Alumni of Ex-Residents from Cheshire Homes, Bangalore. 

Asma has taken over as the Vice Chairperson of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore from 25^th of January, 2025 onwards.

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Archana Ramachandran

SECRETARY

Archana completed her Master’s degree in Sociology from Bangalore University in 1993. After her marriage, she did a course in Travel and Tourism and worked with a travel agent for four years. After that, she took a break to bring up her children.

Later she worked with a reputed NGO for 5 years. Archana is talented in arts and crafts and developed an interest in quilting as a hobby and occasionally took orders for customized quilts.

Now her children have grown up, she joined the Cheshire Homes committee in June 2020 and took over as Honorary Secretary in October 2020.

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Madhavi

TREASURER

Madhavi, a certified counsellor and a volunteer for “Helping Hand” is associated with Cheshire Homes since the late 90’s as a counselor and tutor for the residents. She enjoys reaching out to children and believes that her experiences with children gave her the opportunity to learn important life lessons. She was a volunteer at St. John’s Hospital for almost a decade and continues to volunteer at the Indian Cancer Society helping out at the camps held in rural areas.

In her professional life, she has worked for a Central Govt. Organisation since 1982 and retired in 2021. She has been a Life Member since 2017 and from 2018 she took over as the Honorary Treasurer.

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Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar (Retd.)

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

AM Philip Rajkumar serves as a Committee Member of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore. He has also been the former Chairman and Vice Chairman of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore, till October 2021.

He served in the Indian Air Force as a Commissioned Officer in the Flying Branch from 1962 to 2001. He also served with the Ministry of Defence as Director, Aeronautical Development Agency. He joined Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore in 2013.

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Yasmin Master

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Yasmin is an active member of the team; she supports the running and management of the Home and spends quality time ensuring progress and the overall development of the residents in both the Airport Road and Whitefield homes.

Earlier, Yasmin worked for 28 years with a reputed voluntary organization on a range of Rural Development projects in various parts of the country. She has been a member on several Boards and Committees involved in development and humanitarian work. Yasmin joined as a Committee Member of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore unit on the Managing committee in 2009 and took over as Vice-Chairperson in 2018.Yasmin stepped down from her post as Vice Chairperson on 25^th of January, 2025 for personal reasons. She continues to serve as a Committee Member of Cheshire Homes.

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Lathamala

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Lathamala brings 18 years of working experience with an NGO and 8 years with the Government of Karnataka. She has rich grassroots experience in community mobilization, building peoples’ institutions, skills and livelihoods promotion, gender equity, NGO management, participatory approaches, project and operations management, and resource planning.

She is instrumental in changing the scope and focus of the Government project from rehabilitation of Devadasis to prevention of dedication of girl children in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. This resulted in the creation of a social movement and the establishment of a separate organization of ex-devadasis called Mahila Abhivrudhi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS).

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Pramila Narendran

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Pramila was a resident of Cheshire Homes from 1982 to 1994. With an MBA in Human Resource Management from Puducherry University, Pramila worked as a Manager in Assurance in Standard Chartered Bank in Financial Crime Compliance – AML, later with Societe Generale as Manager – Compliance, and is presently working as Vice President at MUFG Enterprises Solutions India Private Limited since 2023.

She joined Awa Alumni as a member and is the President of the Association. She became a life member of Cheshire Homes in 2017 and has joined as a Managing Committee Member since 2018.

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Helen Shukla

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Helen began volunteering with Cheshire Homes in March 2022. She was elected to join as a Committee Member in September 2022.

Helen has worked in the Technical Communication industry for 30+ yrs. with leading MNCs and is the Co-founder of TWB A Technical Communication Training organization (2005). She began her career in software development before moving into the Technical Communication space. Her key areas of expertise are Knowledge Management that include Technical Writing, Information Design, Process Management, related Technologies, and Building and Managing teams.

Prior to opening her own company, she was the Knowledge Manager of SAP Labs India.
Helen is an active member of the team; She supports our programs for Web site Maintenance, Knowledge Management, Education, and Vocational training. 

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Naina. P

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

A resident of the home from 1994 to 2010, Naina completed her MBA with the support of the home, lifetime members, and volunteers at Cheshire Home. She was recruited to a nationalized bank in 2012 through campus placement and worked there in corporate credit until May 2023. Naina is currently working for HSBC in Bengaluru and joined as a committee member on 23-09-2024. She is also an active member in the alumni association of Cheshire home. She owes what she is today to the Cheshire home. 

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Dr.E.Aravindraj

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Dr. E. Aravind Raj is an Additional Professor of Psychiatric Social Work at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, with over two decades of experience. He holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil in Psychiatric Social Work from NIMHANS, and a Master’s in Social Work from Loyola College, Chennai. His core interests include community mental health, disaster psychosocial care, school/college mental health, and volunteer engagement.

He has held key roles in numerous national and international research projects, particularly focusing on psychosocial support and mental health promotion. Dr. Aravind has taught and mentored M.Phil, Ph.D., MBBS, MPH, and MSW students and coordinates several certificate and diploma programs.

He has served as visiting faculty at RINPAS, CIP Ranchi, MAHE Manipal, and IIM Rohtak. He has led psychosocial interventions in disaster zones, children’s homes, and community outreach clinics. A prolific trainer, he has conducted workshops on mental health, life skills, disaster response, and family enrichment.

He is the founding General Secretary and current President of the Association of Psychiatric Social Work Professionals (APSWP).Dr. Aravind has received multiple recognitions including the Best Mental Health Educator Award (2019) and Karnataka Jyothi Rajya Prasasthi.

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Dr.Eliza Pereira

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Dr. Eliza Pereira is a senior Clinical Social Work professional with over 35 years at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, where she served as Head of Department. With an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in social work, her expertise spans medical counseling, grief support, women’s rights, and chronic illness care. She pioneered hospital-based support groups and grief counseling services across specialties.

Post-retirement, she founded Insight Counselling Centre and Visiting Angels, offering mental health support and elderly care. Currently, she serves as President of the Bengaluru Haemodialysis Association and continues her work in counseling, advocacy, and training.

Dr. Eliza became a Life member of Cheshire Homes India, Bangalore unit on 23 September 2024 and joined as a committee member from 25^th of January, 2025.

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